TRENTON — Legislation that would toughen New Jersey's laws against firearms possession by domestic violence offenders is beginning to advance.

The bill (A4218) — which former U.S. Rep. Gabby Giffords (D-Arizona) advocated for in a March visit to Trenton — is scheduled for a hearing in the state Assembly Law and Public Safety Committee on Monday. It would require judges to order those convicted of a domestic violence offense to sell their guns to dealers or turn them over to law enforcement within 24 hours, among other things.

Current law already bans domestic violence offenders from owning the guns, but the bill would add an enforcement mechanism that gun control advocates argue is lacking.

"Dangerous people with guns are a threat to women. Criminals with guns, abusers with guns, stalkers with guns — that makes gun violence a women's issue," Giffords said in March. "For mothers, for families, for me and you, women can lead the way. We stand for common sense, We stand for responsibility. We can change the laws, we can win elections."

Gun rights advocates oppose the measure. Scott Bach, president of the Association of New Jersey Rifle and Pistol Clubs, wrote in an email to members Thursday that while the bill at first glance looks well-intentioned, it "seems obsessed with harassing and intimidating anyone who owns firearms and is also accused of domestic violence, even where no actual violence has occurred — which is often the case under existing New Jersey law."

Among his complaints, Bach said non-violent offenders could potentially lose their firearms under the law, and that its 24-hour window is far too short since gun dealers may be closed, forcing owners to forfeit firearms instead of selling them. And he noted that police already sweep the homes of those arrested for domestic violence for guns. Bach also. argued that the bill would allow judges in some cases to bypass due process currently required for weapon forfeiture, which would violate a 2014 U.S. Supreme Court decision. A poll conducted by SurveyUSA early this month that was commissioned by the gun control advocacy group Everytown for Gun Safety found 82 percent of New Jersey residents support the measure.

"With just a few weeks left until our lawmakers leave Trenton for the summer recess, it's imperative they listen to the strong majority of New Jersey voters that support requiring people convicted of domestic violence and people with a domestic violence protective order against them to turn in any guns they own to law enforcement," Jaime Bedrin, a volunteer with the New Jersey chapter of Moms Demand Action, said in a statement.

The committee will also hear two other gun-related bills. One (A4182) would ban those convicted of carjacking, gang criminality, racketeering and making terroristic threats from owning firearms. The other (A3593) would require law enforcement be notified when someone seeks to have a mental health record expunged in order to purchase a gun.